Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1533641
10 OPINION maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 26 MARCH 2025 OUR police officers operate in a high-stakes environment, often dealing with stress, danger and complex situations. Their work involves navigating threaten- ing circumstances and making split-second decisions that could mean the difference between life and death. In 2025, our law enforcement officers continue facing signif- icant challenges that further complicate their already de- manding roles. These challeng- es include large workloads, staff shortages, difficulties in building community trust and a rise in cy- ber and cross-border crimes. But perhaps the greatest chal- lenge and scourge that our po- lice corps continuously has to deal with is when corruption and the bad apples among the officers start gnawing at the in- tegrity and trustworthiness of what is supposed to be a disci- plined force. Police corruption can threaten the security and stability of our state and lead to increased vio- lence and crime. In its various forms, it can constitute a threat to national security, as brib- ery can facilitate terrorism and drugs through police collusion and can also reduce police effec- tiveness through kickbacks and embezzlement in procurement. Police corruption can arise from abuse of public power for private gain and can also have damaging effects on individu- al lives. It can be transactional, that is to say, having to pay to get help from the police, or preda- tory, with lawbreakers paying to avoid trouble with the police. Take, for example, the massive police overtime racket that was revealed in 2020. 32 police of- ficers, some of whom were occu- pying senior positions within the corps, were arraigned in court and charged with abusing over- time facilities to rake in thou- sands of euros by way of unjus- tified enrichment. In 2022, then, three police of- ficers were charged with kid- napping and beating up foreign nationals, picking their victims at random and injuring one so badly that he lost consciousness. Or the other case last year, when a magistrate blasted two police officers who gave a heav- ily embellished testimony about an altercation with a man in a kebab shop. Following that serious case of police misconduct and criminal abuse, we had another shocking police malfeasance when it was revealed that a police sergeant had allegedly for a long time been leaking information about multiple upcoming police raids to suspected seasoned criminals. Being an officer in the drug squad, she ostensibly took bribes in the course of her work as a public officer, revealing sensitive security information, being an accomplice to drug trafficking, money laundering and misuse of electronic equipment. Following right on the heels of that incident, we had an even more shocking case of an elite police officer who was sus- pended after testing positive for cocaine and leaking sensitive information. He was an officer who provided security for some of Malta's most high-profile fig- ures. Furthermore, he was al- leged to have ties to drug dealers. Even in a democratic society like ours, human rights abuses, police brutality, police malfea- sance, police corruption and criminality can still exist and hinder the credibility of the po- lice when exposed. Weak ac- countability measures constitute the central cause of corruption. When police officers are investi- gated or punished for their mis- deeds, as they have been in the cases mentioned above, police corruption can be reduced. In contrast, when police officers are not held accountable for malfea- sance or other misbehaviour, then corruption intensifies. Of course, despite cases where police malfeasance has been ex- posed and prosecuted, there may still be other cases that go unde- tected. But bearing the narrow and political definitions of corrup- tion in mind, police corruption and other misconduct and illicit activities can now be addressed. However, police deviance ex- pands to further wrongful prac- tices when officers evade accept- able norms, values, ethics, laws and standards without direct victimisation. Rather than linearly thinking of police corruption as constituting bribery, personal advantage and minor perks, police officers can also abuse their position with the intent of departmental, rather than solely individual, gain. The severity of police corrup- tion may intensify over time during a police officer's career, despite having started it with a clean slate and the best of inten- tions. Nobody imagines police re- cruits joining in anticipation of deviant delights. Invariably they are motivated to abide by the law, are even idealistic, and may be even excellent officers before becoming bent. In short, a bad officer was a good one first, so what makes him 'bad'? One must delve into the pre- dominant causes and activities of police corruption. The underlying reasons behind police corruption are multifacet- ed. There are notable constant The enemy within Mark Said is a veteran lawyer Mark Said Police officers operate in a high-stakes environment (Photo: Malta Police Force)